World Sports News in Brief

Europa League was crucial to Atletico revival - Simeone

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone hailed the Europa League as the competition that helped revive his team when he took over a club in decline in 2012 and turned them into one of the most consistent teams in continental football. Atletico will be bidding to win Europe's secondary competition for a third time when they face Olympique de Marseille in Wednesday's final in Lyon, France.

* France's Alize Cornet was cleared of an anti-doping violation on Tuesday after a charge against her for missing three out-of-competition drug tests was dismissed, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said in a statement. The 28-year-old, currently ranked number 32 in the world, was charged with missing three tests within a 12-month period on Jan. 11, before the start of the Australian Open.

* Brighton manager Chris Hughton has been rewarded for keeping the Seagulls in the Premier League with a new three-year contract. Hughton, 59, guided Brighton back to the top flight for the first time in 34 years last season, and a famous 1-0 win over Manchester United earlier this month secured survival as they finished 15th.

* Tottenham Hotspur tied down club-record signing Davinson Sanchez to a new six-year contract on Monday. The 21-year-old centre-back joined Spurs just last August for a reported £42 million (US$57 million) from Ajax.

* Despite having finished third in the European qualifying, Russia have been awarded a place at the 2019 World Cup in Japan after Romania, who originally won the section, second-placed Spain and fourth-placed Belgium were all docked points for fielding ineligible players.

* The La Liga champions, Barcelona, on May 15 announced plans to open their own amusement parks in Asia and the United States in a bid to further boost their global brand. The five parks, which will be between 3,000 and 10,000 square metres, will be built by Spanish leisure park group Parques Reunidos in shopping malls and "iconic establishments" in major cities, with the first parks being opened in 2020.

* New Italy coach Roberto Mancini on Tuesday (May 15) said he wanted to restore pride in the national side six months after their shock failure to qualify for the World Cup. Italy have been without a permanent coach since Gian Piero Ventura was sacked after the four-time world champions failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958.